Those Sleepless Nights
by PeggsterLover
Summary: Some people get to live the dream. Others have to face the nightmares. Written in response to a prompt - prompt listed inside .


_So this is my response to the following prompt, found on the Ghotocol site:_

"_It's rare that all four of them get a solid night's sleep - between Jane dreaming about Hanaway & Moreau, Brandt and Croatia, Ethan watching all his teams die, and Benji's goddamn sleepwalking, they're usually zombies in the morning."_

_It's my first attempt at writing from a prompt so I hope you like it!_

_Enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

The credits to the movie were interrupted by a yawn from Brandt, which according to Benji sounded like a wookie, and the TV flicked off. The team had been ordered by IMF to take a weeks vacation after their last mission and the foursome showed no signs of putting up a fight. Their last mission had been tough but, like the Cobalt job, they had pulled through relatively unscathed. Ethan had a badly sprained ankle from jumping a gap between two buildings, Benji's face and neck were decorated by little abrasions caused by glass as a bullet tore through a window and Brandt had tell tales signs of the fight he had instigated with the man who almost shot the tech. Jane was the only one with no physical signs of injury, however she had watched a man be shot in cold blood right in front of her and that had left her slightly shaken, bringing up memories from the past that she wished she could forget.

So now, here they were, resting up in a nice hotel near a river in Australia. Benji had been ecstatic when they found out where they were going, exclaiming "I've always wanted to go down under!" resulting in an immature laugh from the analyst who, in turn, received a smack upside his head from Jane. They had piled into their four bedroom apartment and each claimed a room before heading out for dinner, after which they returned to the hotel. Once they were back, the four agents crammed themselves into Benji's room to watch a film about some cops in England (the tech's choice, of course). They spread themselves out across Benji's double bed; Brandt and Ethan sitting with their backs against the headboard, Jane squeezed in between them using Brandt's stomach as a pillow and Benji lying at the foot of the bed, perpendicular to the others as he watched the movie intently for the tenth time in his life. Every now and then, Brandt would give the Brit a small kick to his upper back, the tech's irritability making his grin. It was only after the fifth nudge with his foot that he stopped when a shoe bounced off the wall above his head. He glanced at Ethan who rolled his eyes and smiled as they went back to watching old people shoot up a small English town. As you do.

Once the film had finished, each agent had returned to their own rooms and made their way straight to bed, hoping that, for once, they could get a decent night sleep. However, deep down, they knew that wasn't likely to happen.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Jane ran through the streets of Budapest, passers-by constantly getting in her way as she sprinted and dodged them. Her mind blocked out all sounds other than her own breathing, which she noticed had grown very rapid and shallow. She had to get to the correct alley in time otherwise she would pay the price.

Well, she wouldn't. He would.

Turning down an alley to the right, she was relieved to see it was empty, allowing her to accelerate down it without obstruction. However once she reached the end, she had to skid to a stop as a large truck pulled up right in front of her. Glancing to her left and right, it seemed that the truck went on forever, with no way of getting around it. It was at this point, she knew it was over. Ducking quickly under the truck, she managed to squeeze underneath and when she emerged the other side, she saw her destination. Scrambling to her feet, she was running before she had even stood properly, overwhelmed by the nerves inside her caused by what she knew she would witness.

As she reached the final alleyway, she saw them.

But she was too late. The woman was walking away with all the grace of a swan yet the malevolence of a demon. Jane contemplated running after her this time. Trying to stop her and prevent the events that would follow from happening. However, as always, she chose to run to his aid. Dropping to her knees, she stroked a hand through Trevor's hair, unable to prevent the tears from falling. She saw them drip down onto his cheek and merge with one of his own. He reached up and brushes a gently, dying hand through her hair.

"You're so beautiful." She couldn't stop her smile as she bit her lip to prevent a sob. Even with his dying breaths, he still took the time to tell her this. That was the Hanaway she had fallen in love with. Not for the compliments, but for his ability to make her smile regardless of the situation. She glanced around. Where was Benji? Looking back at Trevor, she saw his face turn serious. "There's something you should know." She leant down, placing her ear to his mouth as he spoke.

_"This is your fault."_ She lifted her head quickly, looking down at his closed eyes and still form as she took in what he'd said. She couldn't recall him ever saying that to her, however she wondered if that was how he felt. She gently shook his shoulders, hoping to wake him up and tell him that she was sorry, but it was no use. Closing her eyes, she let another tear fall as she began to sob, however she heard something from behind her and spun around.

Standing nearby was Moreau. Glancing back down, she noticed that Trevor was now gone and the floor had changed. As she looked around, she noticed that she was now in the Burj Khalifa again; the hotel room looked exactly as she remembered it.

When she turned back to Moreau, she saw that Benji lay at her feet, much like he had done during the mission, however this time, he lay in a pool of blood. Jane was filled with a sudden surge of rage-induced energy and she threw herself at Moreau. Memories of that day came rushing back to her as fists flew and the two fought. Everything was exactly how she remembered it up until the moment when Moreau kicked her out of the window. She fell as a frightening speed and closed her eyes, preparing for impact.

She suddenly sat up, gasping for air as she reached for the light on her bedside table. Breathing heavily, she ran her hands through her long hair as she fought the tear that was trying to be released. Breathing in through her nose, she rubbed her hands over her eyes and let herself fall back onto the bed. She didn't go back to sleep, though.

She couldn't.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o  
><em>  
>Brandt returned to the hotel, following Ethan as he jogged. Everything was fine as they made their way through the lobby and up the stairs; it was only when they got to the hotel room that things turned sour. There were a group of men standing outside Ethan and Julia's room, all looking very serious as they turned to Ethan. Brandt held back, watching from afar as the men, who Brandt recognised to be from IMF, tried to keep Ethan back. Will could only watch as the man yelled and fought against the strong grip that pulled him towards the stairwell, only moving once they had disappeared.<p>

"Sir?" Brandt approached a man who he knew to be his superior.

"Agent Brandt. Where were you?" the man asked, sincerity and a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"I-I was watching the husband, sir. He went for a jog and I followed him, I wanted to ensure his safety, sir. I left two men with his wife while I was gone." Brandt glanced between the three men before him. "What happened?"

The man motioned for him to enter the hotel room. "See for yourself, Agent Brandt." Brandt slowly stepped forward and peered around the corner of the doorframe, immediately seeing the overturned furniture and strewn clothing. The two men that Brandt had left watching the wife were sitting down having head wounds tended to, blood dripping down the side of their faces.

There was no sign of the wife.

"Sir, I don't underst-"

"She's gone, Agent Brandt." The man explained, stepping next to him. "The men who were after her have taken her." Brandt felt sick.

"Do we know where they have taken her, sir?" Brandt worried that he knew the answer to the question already; he also worried that the question he had posed would seem almost juvenile. The answer he received, however, was far from what he had hoped for.

"We do. Local police just found her body two miles from here." Brandt's jaw dropped slightly against his will and he stared blankly at the man.

"I… she's dead, sir?"

"Yes. And I'm afraid the only person at fault here is you."

"But that can't be true, sir. She can't be dead." Brandt heard Ethan's words in his head.

_"How do you know she's dead?"_

_"Did you see the body?"_

"Can I see her, sir?" Brandt asked.

"No." the man replied, his voice void of all emotion. "You've done enough damage here. Please leave." Brandt lowered his head.

"Yes, sir." He made his way out of the room sheepishly, not fully understanding. He knew that Julia wasn't dead. Glancing down the hall, he saw the man from earlier stepping into the hall with Ethan. Brandt wanted to say something to him, however when he saw the heart-breaking look that the older agent gave him, Will turned and left, head hanging low, unsure of what to believe anymore.

His eyes opened and he stared at the ceiling for a few moments, not really knowing what to think. He had relived that moment numerous times throughout the past months. Even though he knew that Julia was alive, it didn't prevent him from experiencing the feeling of guilt in that situation. It made him doubt that Ethan's truth-telling back in Seattle, however he had to remind himself that he had not caused the death of his friend's wife.

He hadn't.

Remaining on his back for a few moments more, Brandt then sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, resting his elbows on his knees and rubbing his hands over his face. The memories of that day were hard to escape, no matter how much he tried to convince himself that it was all ok.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o  
><em>

Benji walked along the pier, feeling the jabbing of the gun into his back every few seconds when his movement became too slow. He bit his lip so as to avoid letting out any unnecessary sound that would aggravate the man behind him. His lip was split from the initial altercation and blood had dripped down his chin, then his neck and was now running below his collar and underneath his shirt. It was an uncomfortable feeling as the sticky liquid moved across his hot skin; however he didn't dare try to do anything about it for fear of what his captor may do.

The team had been on a milk run, nothing that they couldn't handle. Things were going fine until both Brandt and himself had been caught by some men. Brandt had managed to fight off his attacker and Benji had been doing a fine job up until the guns had come out. While Brandt had been preoccupied by his own captor, smacking away the threatening weapon, the man near Benji had used the temporary distraction to pull the tech into the nearest corridor and drag him towards the nearby exit.

Along the way, the man had told Benji that as long as he didn't try anything, their boss would let him go, just as soon as they had got away. Where they would let him go seemed to be filed under the information the hostage didn't need to know so Benji didn't ask. As they walked, the tech wondered if his team had realised what had happened. He was sure that Brandt would have noticed that he was missing as soon as he'd finished dealing with his assailant. But would they find him in time. He wasn't even sure where this man was taking him, let alone where they were planning on letting him go. How would his team find him? Would they find him at all?

They approached the end of the pier and the man pushed him up a ramp onto a boat. The lights from the deck enabled the tech to see through the darkness that surrounded them and he saw who appeared to be the boss in front of him.

"Hello there. I suppose you will be my guest for a short time." The man smiled. He almost seemed welcoming, well at least until he told one of his men to bind Benji's wrists. The zip ties were wrapped and secured around the tech's hands and he felt the boss' arm wrap around his shoulders, pulling him close. "Don't worry, son. You'll be free in no time." All Benji could do was nod and hope for the best as he was taken inside the cabin of the vessel.

Half an hour after the boat had set sail, Benji was grabbed and pulled to his feet.

"You ready to go home, son?" the boss asked. Benji saw him smiling before a blindfold was placed over his eyes and he lost sight of everything. He felt himself being led across the room and out into the fresh sea air. He wished he could see, however he had to have faith that the man was keeping his word. He was pushed across the deck and suddenly stopped when a rough voice spoke into his ear.

"Have a nice dip." Benji's heart raced at the words but he wasn't able to prevent himself being shoved forward, the ground disappearing from beneath him as he fell into the icy cold water.

Benji opened his eyes and looked around, breathing heavily as he realised that he was standing in the living area of the apartment. This Goddamn sleepwalking was getting the best of him. Dropping down onto the sofa, he let his head fall forward. He really shouldn't have been haunted by the scenario still. It had been a few months since that had happened, however he still found himself waking up in various parts of their apartment having re-experienced his ordeal. He had been rescued, he knew that. He had removed his blindfold as soon as he reached the surface for air again and began to swim, hoping to reach shore before too long. It had been difficult to swim with his wrists still bound, but he had been spotted by a late-night lifeguard boat and taken to shore. He had passed out from exhaustion on the trip back and had woken up in a hospital room surrounded by his team. It was over for him, however the nightmares still plagued him to this day. At this rate, he would have to strap himself to the bed in order to get a decent night sleep without winding up in another room.

He flopped back against the sofa, the leather material felt cool on his bare back, and he switched on the TV.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o  
><em>

Ethan sat tied to a chair in a large, dark room. He wasn't sure how he got there, but he knew things weren't looking good. He didn't know who had abducted him or why. He wasn't sure if his team mates were safe or if they were even alive.

"Hello, Ethan." A voice came out of nowhere, recognisable however confusingly so. It sounded like a mixture of multiple people that the IMF agent had faced over the years. Numerous foes, none of which seemed more dominant in the voice than another. Ethan flicked his head from side to side, wondering who was speaking, however the source was nowhere to be seen.

"Who are you?" Ethan asked.

"Oh, come now Ethan. You don't remember me?" one voice took over that time, however when he spoke again, the voice changed to a different one. "We went through so much together."

"Show yourself!" Ethan shouted. He knew he wasn't really in the position to be making demands, but he didn't really care.

"In good time, Ethan. But first, there's something else I would like to show you." Ethan heard the sound of someone struggling and was horrified when the person came into view. Being held in the vice-like grip of a man wearing a balaclava was Jane. She was beaten and tears stained her face. The man gripped her hair and was pulling tightly on it.

"Jane!" Ethan cried out, struggling against his bonds. "Let her go!"

"Why would I do that? She'll miss the fun. Even though she's going to miss it anyway."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ethan watched in horror as the man lifted a gun to her temple and pushed it into her skin. Her sobs filled the room before they were silenced. Ethan squeezed his eyes shut at the sound of the gunshot, only opening them after the thud of her lifeless body hitting the ground reverberated off the walls. He looked down and saw her, her beautiful brown hair soaked by the thick blood that pooled around her head. His breathing rate increased when he heard the sound of someone else fighting.

"This party has more guests, Ethan. We're just getting started." Before Ethan could fully take in the sudden, brutal murder of his team mate, Benji was dragged into view. His face displayed signs of the beatings that Jane had also been through and he was being held with his arms pulled behind his back. Tears were welling up in his eyes but he tried to not let them fall, glancing over at Ethan before noticing Jane's body nearby.

"Jane?" the English accented voice was merely a whisper as he took in the sight of her. He then looked back to the older man. "Ethan? What's going-" he was cut off by a horrendous pain as the man who had killed Jane forced a large blade into his stomach. Ethan heard his friend screaming out in pain as the knife was removed before being plunged into his stomach again and again.

"No! Stop!" Ethan exclaimed, trying to block out the tech's screams. The sound of the blade tearing through Benji's flesh sounded over and over, the man's never-ending cries surrounding Ethan as he fought back tears at the image of his friend being stabbed. Finally, the man stopped, letting Benji fall forward. The tech landed on his knees, looking up at Ethan as blood dripped from his mouth before collapsing onto the floor. "Benji?" Ethan waited for him to get up again, however Benji simply lay there, much like Jane, blood slowly seeping out around his torso. How could this have happened? He had just had to watch two of his closest friends be murdered in cold blood right in front of him.

"Why are you doing this?" Ethan asked, barely able to contain his distress. He always tried to keep it together in tough situations, but this took the cake.

"Oh, it isn't over just yet." The voice taunted. "We've got one more left, remember." Ethan immediately let out an involuntary moan at the thought, hearing Brandt's yells as he was pulled forward. Much like Benji and Jane, he had bruises and cuts adorning is face and he looked exhausted.

Ethan was terrified for Brandt. Having just seen Jane shot in the head and Benji stabbed repeatedly, he dreaded what this elusive nemesis had in store for his last remaining friend. The man walked around to the back of Brandt and without warning, lifted a piece of rope over his head and pulled it around his neck. Brandt tried to grasp at the rope to stop it, however his arms were quickly restrained by two other men and he could not prevent the slow death he was about to endure.

Ethan closed his eyes, not wanting to see the life leave those of his friend. He had already watched two of the people he cared for die, he didn't want to make it three. He may not have been able to see Brandt, but he could still hear the sounds he made as he spluttered and gasped for air. The sounds were getting quieter and more distant as the analyst lost his battle. Ethan begged for it to stop, for it to be over.

Then, it did stop.

When Ethan opened his eyes, he saw that he was back in his room at the hotel. Once again, the haunting dreams had returned. He had seen all his colleagues killed in previous nightmares, however tonight was the first time he had seen those deaths be of Brandt, Benji and Jane. He hated thinking of them as nightmares; they were what small children had, not grown men. Yet he knew, whatever they could be called, they were not pleasant. Swinging his legs off the bed, he stood up, throwing on a t-shirt before heading to the glass door of his balcony. Stepping outside, the fresh air was a nice change from the hot and stuffy feeling his nightmare had left him with. He looked out over the river and could see the sun slowly beginning to rise. Sitting down on the plastic chair, he raised his feet and rested them on the wall of the balcony.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o  
><em>

"You're up early." Brandt looked up to see the source of the voice as he stumbled from his room. Benji sat on the sofa, legs crossed underneath him as he sipped a glass of water.

"I could say the same for you." Brandt rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock. 6am. "I couldn't sleep."

"Neither." Benji gave a solemn look before standing. "Coffee?"

"God yes." Brandt put his hands together as if praying and followed Benji to the kitchen, sitting himself down on the barstool as the tech filled the kettle.

"Morning." The men turned to see Jane emerging from her room. The bags under her eyes spoke volumes to them and Benji immediately pulled out a third mug. Jane smiled at him and mouthed a 'thank you' before sitting next to Brandt. "Did you guys get any sleep last night?" she glanced between them as they both shook their heads.

"And just this once, I won't blame Benji's choice in film." Brandt joked, turning to the tech.

"Why, William. You cut me deep." Benji pretended to remove a dagger from his heart as the trio laughed, only to notice Ethan walking out from his bedroom. Ethan was staring at Benji, having seen his jesting actions. They felt all too sickening for Ethan after his dream but he shook the feeling and approached them.

"Sleepless night?" Jane asked. When Ethan nodded, Brandt scoffed slightly.

"Join the club."

Ethan looked at each member of their team, glad to see them alive and well. He wasn't sure what each agent had dreamt about that night, but he had a feeling he knew. He offered them a soft smile.

"We can get through this."

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o  
><em>

_Well, there you have it. I hope it was ok. _

_Seeing as the prompt didn't specify what made Benji sleep-walk, I made something up. Hope that's alright :)_

_Much love x_


End file.
